Marifa

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Marifa (Arabic: المعرفة‎‎), which literally means knowledge, is the term used by Sufi Muslims to describe mystical intuitive knowledge of spiritual truth reached through ecstatic experiences, rather than revealed or rationally acquired.

In one of the earliest accounts of the Maqamat-l arba'in ("forty stations") in Sufism, Sufi master Abu Said ibn Abi'l-Khayr lists marifa as the 25th station: "Through all the creatures of the two worlds, and through all the people, they perceive Allah, and there is no accusation to be made of their perception."

Marifat is one of the «four stage» of Sufism:

• Sharia (Arabic: شريعة‎‎) : legal path.
• Tariqa (Arabic: طريقة‎‎) : methodico‑esoteric path.
• Haqiqa (Arabic: حقيقة‎‎) : mystical truth / verity.
• Marifa (Arabic: معرفة‎‎) : mystical knowledge & awareness, mysticism.

References

Sources

• M. Damadi, Translation of Maqamat-l arba' in April 1971
• M. Fethullah Gulen, Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, Emerald hills of the heart. Vol 2, p135, 2004